You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, my lurker friend!

Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, an unparalleled Subaru community full of the greatest Subaru gurus and modders on the planet! We offer technical information and discussion about all things Subaru, the best and most popular all wheel drive vehicles ever created.

We offer all this information for free to everyone, even lurkers like you! All we ask in return is that you sign up and give back some of what you get out - without our awesome registered users none of this would be possible! Plus, you get way more great stuff as a member! Lurk to lose, participate to WIN*!

Say hello and join the conversation

Subscribe to topics and forums to get automatic updates

Get your own profile and make new friends

Classifieds with all sorts of Subaru goodies

Photo hosting in our gallery

Meet other cool people with cool cars

Seriously, what are you waiting for? Make your life more fulfilling and join today! You and your Subaru won't regret it, we guarantee** it.

* The joy of participation and being generally awesome constitutes winning** Not an actual guarantee, but seriously, you probably won't regret it!

I don't think it's the auto seatbelt itself that is unsafe, the way it comes from the factory. I think it is the thought of trying to retrofit it into a different vehicle that could make it unsafe.

They're kind of undesireable because they seem to fail eventually, some part of the track comes loose sometimes and comes out, things like that. I think they were supposed to give you an automatic belting in if you didn't or forgot to fasten the belt. But you have to fasten the lap belt manually anyway so what's the point. I think that's part of why manufs got away from using them. Ford used those things too in cars of that era.

They are undesirable because at some point in your ownership of the car, you will have your head partway out the window when you open the door. The belt will then grab you by the neck and drag you down toward the dash. This may happen multiple times over the years, with the humiliation of "I should have known better" getting stronger each time.

They are unsafe because the shoulder belt is the only automated part, you still have to do the lap belt manually. It's harder to grab just a lap belt, and it's easier to forget to put it on since you already have the shoulder belt on. When you get in a wreck, the missing lap belt will let you submarine under the shoulder belt, leading to neck injuries and burying your knees in the dash.

The systems themselves are pretty reliable. The ones in my loyale would get flaky for a bit after a submersion, but go back to normal operation once the wiring dried out.

Last winter i was getting into the Legacy after coming out from the bank. Jumped in car, quick backed out, and was heading to gas station to fill up. Soon as i backed out cop turned a u turn and flipped his light on. I was already pulling in to the pump for gas. He thought he was going to give me a seatbelt violation, but by the time he got to me i was at the gas station getting out to pump gas, he saw me open my door and the seatbelt moved forward automatically, and then he verbally gave me window tint ticket for being too dark, didnt even write a warning. I told him i was not a problem.

silly cop thinking he got me for not having time to buckle up.

And I was then asking him to tell measure my tint to tell me how illegal it is. He didn't even have the measuring device to tell me. I still have yet to de tint it, cause they have to prove to you before writing the ticket on that one.